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Planting and caring for Platycodon is quite simple. This plant does not need feeding. Young bushes should be watered frequently and abundantly, while older bushes should be watered only during periods of drought. The flower is characterized by good winter hardiness, so it is easy to grow in almost any region of Russia.
Description of the perennial bell platycodon
Platycodon is a perennial plant of the Campanaceae family. Due to the characteristic shape of its flowers, it is also called a bell (translated from Greek “platicodon” means “wide bell”). The flowers are really large, up to 7-8 cm in diameter. They consist of five fused petals of different colors (depending on the variety):
- white;
- lilac;
- blue;
- pink;
- light and dark purple.
Flowering lasts 2 months, in the second half of summer (starting in mid-July). The leaves of the plant are rich green in color, emerging from a basal rosette.Flowers are collected in groups (inflorescences in the form of panicles) or arranged singly. The shoots are densely leafy, straight, and can reach a height of 20 to 80 cm (depending on the variety). The photo of Platycodon shows that the flowers of this perennial contrast well against the background of attractive greenery.
The height and color of flowers depends on the specific crop variety.
In nature, the plant is found in Eastern Siberia, the Far East of Russia and neighboring countries (China, Korea, Japan). Platycodon is also successfully bred in gardens, since it has good winter hardiness (withstands frosts down to -40 ° C).
Platycodon varieties
Platycodon varieties are conventionally divided into 2 groups:
- Dwarf - they grow no higher than 25 cm.
- Tall - up to 50-70 cm.
The first group includes the following varieties:
- Astra Blue (Astra Blue or blue): can be grown not only in the garden, but also in pots. The plant is compact, low-growing, while the flowers are quite large, reaching 5-6 cm in diameter.
- Astra White: Platycodon variety with pure white flowers. It is distinguished by its dwarf size, its height does not exceed 20 cm. The flowers are large and wide open.
- Sentimental Blue: A low-growing, spreading platycodon shrub with deep light blue flowers. The crop is grown as an annual, because it blooms in the year of planting.
- Axminster Streaked: One of the most beautiful Platycodons. There are contrasting blue strokes on the soft blue background of the flowers.
Popular large plant varieties:
- Fairy Snow is the tallest species. Grows up to 80 cm. The flowers are white and have beautiful blue veins.
- White-flowered Fuji White: attracts attention with its elegant milky bells.When planting a platycodon flower (pictured) in a flowerbed, you should take into account that the bush is tall and moderately spreading. Its height reaches 50-70 cm.
- Fuji Pink is related to the white Platycodon. Its flowers are soft pink, which is achieved thanks to the peculiar coloring of the veins in the petals.
- Blue Fuji Blue (Fuji Blue): one of the tallest, can grow up to 70 cm. The flowers are large, up to 8 cm in diameter. Also belongs to the series of white and pink platycodons Fuji (Fuji).
Some varieties of Platycodon can withstand frosts down to -40 ° C, others - down to -30 ° C or less. Therefore, it is recommended to grow different plants in different regions.
Platycodon in landscape design
Tall platycodon bushes are often used in single plantings. They decorate shady places in the garden, for example, next to the house, in the trunk of a powerful tree, not far from tall bushes. The plant can also be combined with familiar garden flowers:
- phlox;
- peonies;
- irises;
- daylilies.
Low-growing varieties are used to frame paths, in mixborders, and alpine slides. Platycodons look great on the coast, next to a bench, gazebo and other recreation areas.
The main condition is not to forget about creating partial shade so that the bells feel as comfortable as possible
Interesting options for using platycodon in landscape design (pictured) will help when designing a garden plot:
- The flowering crop looks good in composition with hostas and other ornamental plants.
- You can decorate your lawn with a single planting of Platycodon.
- Low-growing varieties can be used to create borders.
- Platycodon flowers grown in barrels can be transferred to any corner of the garden.
It grows slowly and does not take up too much space. Therefore, any ornamental plants can become a neighbor to such a flower (provided they have the correct combination in shape, color and size).
Peculiarities of Platycodon reproduction
Platycodon is quite difficult to propagate from cuttings, since many of them do not take root. Although, if desired, you can still get several daughter bushes. Cuttings are cut at the beginning of summer (shoots with two internodes are taken and grown in moist sand in greenhouse conditions, and then transferred to open ground).
Dividing Platycodon rhizomes is also not suitable, since in this case the bush is severely injured. The cuttings often do not take root, and the mother plant may also suffer due to this procedure.
Therefore, the only effective (and not very labor-intensive) way to propagate Platycodon is growing from seeds. To obtain seedlings, grains are sown in early March. You can purchase universal soil for flower plants or make a mixture of peat, humus and sand in equal quantities.
Instructions for propagating Platycodon are simple:
- The seeds are buried 3-5 mm and sprinkled with a little soil.
- Water generously.
- Cover the container with a glass lid and put it in a warm place.
- First, they are grown at a temperature of 23-25 ° C. As soon as shoots appear, gradually reduce to 16 °C.
- Then they grow under normal conditions and transfer Platycodon to open ground in early May.
The first shoots appear quite late - at the end of April or May.
Planting and caring for Platycodon in open ground
Any gardener can handle planting and caring for platycodon, since the bell is undemanding to growing conditions. It needs moderate watering and infrequent feeding. Moreover, you need to take special care of young bushes, while adult plants do not require special care.
When to plant Platycodon
Young bell bushes are heat-loving, so they can be planted in open ground only when frost definitely won’t return. In most regions of Russia in the second half of June, in the south - at the beginning of the month.
In the Urals and Siberia, it is better to plant platycodon in early June, and if the summer was cold, 1-2 weeks later
Site selection and soil preparation
The culture prefers light, fertile soil (preferably loam) with a small amount of sand. The reaction should be neutral. The landing site should be:
- protected from direct sunlight (you can choose partial shade from garden trees or tall shrubs);
- protected from the wind;
- not waterlogged (it is not advisable to plant in lowlands).
The soil is pre-cleaned and dug up, trying to break up all large lumps. If the soil is not very fertile, complex mineral fertilizer should be applied (50-60 g per 1 m2).
Planting Platycodon in open ground
The algorithm for planting a bell is as follows:
- Dig several holes at a distance of 15-20 cm. More sparse planting is also allowed, depending on the design.
- Lay a small drainage layer (2-3 cm) of small stones and broken bricks.
- Place the seedlings and sprinkle them with soil so that the root collar comes as close to the surface as possible (at the same time it should not be visible).
- The soil is lightly compacted and watered abundantly with settled water.
- Mulch with humus, peat, straw or other available materials.
Platycodon's roots are very fragile, so you should proceed with extreme caution.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Caring for Platycodon in open ground is not very difficult. During the first two weeks after planting, the bells are watered almost every day with a small amount of water. Then liquid is added only as needed, preventing the soil from completely drying out. Mature bushes that are more than 3-4 years old are watered only during drought.
It is not necessary to feed the plants during the first season (if the area has been previously fertilized).
Complex fertilizer can be applied in April or May
If the mulch contains humus, there is no need to additionally feed Platycodon.
Loosening, weeding, mulching
Platycodon, like many other flowers, loves light soil that receives oxygen. Therefore, you need to loosen regularly, for example, once every 7-10 days. It is especially important to do this before watering so that water quickly reaches the roots of the bell.
To reduce weeds and keep the soil moist longer, it is mulched with peat, humus, sawdust, and hay.
Pinching, garter
Platycodon takes a long time to germinate (when grown from seeds), but then quickly picks up growth rates and goes up. To prevent the shoots from stretching too much, they need to be regularly pinched when they reach the desired height. Inhibitors that slow growth can also be used.
It is not necessary to tie the bells, because...The shoots are straight, the flowers are not heavy, the plant holds its shape well. But if the moment of active growth is missed (there was no pinching), and the shoot has become very elongated, you need to place a wooden peg nearby and tie the bush with a rope.
Preparing for winter
Many varieties of Platycodon have good winter hardiness. But in any case, the plants need to be prepared for the cold period. After flowering ends, collect dried seed pods (if you plan to grow seedlings) and cut off all flower stalks.
At the end of September, the stem of the plant is cut off completely, leaving a stump of 2-3 cm. Cover with mulch - this can be humus, dry leaves, peat. The layer should be high enough, and additional cover will not be needed. Next year, the mulch should be removed at the end of March so that the platycodon does not have time to rot.
Diseases and pests
Platycodon has very good immunity to diseases and pests. Only occasionally can a plant suffer from gray rot. This disease usually develops due to overwatering. Gray or yellowish-brown spots appear on the leaves. In this case it is necessary:
- Remove all damaged Platycodon leaves and throw them away from the area or burn them.
- Loosen the soil thoroughly and do not water it in the near future.
- Treat the plant with a fungicide - you can use Bordeaux mixture and other preparations (Fundazol, Skor, Ordan, Maxim).
As for pests, they are practically not found on the surface of Platycodon leaves and stems. Insects can parasitize the roots of the bellflower. It is difficult to determine this, so it is better to try to regularly loosen the soil and replant the bushes in a new place after 5-7 years.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for platycodon is not difficult, so any gardener can handle it. Flowers look impressive, especially when several plants of the same height are densely planted. The culture goes well with different plants, which allows you to create interesting compositions that enliven the garden.
